
Corning offers a range of products for tissue culture applications, including vessels, advanced surfaces, and media. Tissue culture-treated plastic Corning products are designed to enhance the binding and growth of specialized cell types, particularly those that are difficult to attach, such as transfected cells. The Corning® CellBIND® surface, introduced in 2003, is a treatment process that uses a higher energy microwave plasma to incorporate more oxygen onto the polystyrene surface, making it more hydrophilic and improving cell attachment. This treatment process is patented and offers several advantages over traditional plasma or corona discharge-treated surfaces, including increased stability and consistency. Corning's tissue culture-treated plastic products are part of their comprehensive portfolio of cell cultureware, plates, surfaces, and media, which are used by scientists worldwide to generate consistent and reproducible results in their research.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To improve cell attachment under difficult conditions, such as adapting cells to serum-free medium or recovery of frozen cells |
| Treatment Process | Uses a higher energy microwave plasma to incorporate more oxygen onto the polystyrene surface, rendering it more hydrophilic (wettable) while increasing the stability of the surface |
| Benefits | Requires no special handling or storage, and since the polystyrene is treated, the surface is also more consistent and stable |
| Cell Culture Plastic Surface Types | Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high- and low-density polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polypropylene (PP) |
| Most Frequently Used Plastic in Labs | Polystyrene (PS) due to its low cost and inert chemistry, making it optimal for a disposable culture surface |
| Cell Culture Plate Availability | Untreated, TC-treated, or treated with other materials |
| Cell Culture Flask Availability | Untreated, TC-treated, or treated with other materials |
| Cell Culture Surface Options | Matrigel® Matrix, BioCoat™ pre-coated cultureware, synthetic ECM mimetic peptides, non-treated, and tissue culture-treated polystyrene vessels |
| Cell Culture Tools | 3D cell culture tools |
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What You'll Learn

Corning's CellBind® surface treatment
Corning is a company that offers a wide range of products and services for cell culture applications. One of their notable innovations is the Corning® CellBind® surface treatment, which was introduced to address the challenges associated with cell attachment, particularly in difficult-to-attach cell lines.
The choice of plastic material is crucial for successful cell culture applications. Over the years, various types of plastics have been utilised, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high- and low-density polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polypropylene (PP). However, the most commonly used plastic in laboratories today is polystyrene (PS). PS is favoured due to its low cost, inert chemistry, and optical clarity. It is also easily mouldable and can be sterilised through irradiation.
Challenges with Polystyrene Surfaces
One significant drawback of polystyrene is its hydrophobic nature, which hinders cell attachment. In its pure form, PS exhibits hydrophobic properties, making it suitable for suspension cell culture. However, the majority of cells derived from vertebrates are anchorage-dependent and require a surface that facilitates cell adhesion and spreading. This limitation necessitates the treatment of PS surfaces to modify their wettability and enhance cell attachment.
Corning® CellBind® Surface Treatment
The Corning® CellBind® surface treatment was introduced in 2003 to address the challenges of cell attachment, especially in adapting cells to serum-free media and recovering frozen cells. This patented treatment process uses a higher energy microwave plasma technique to incorporate more oxygen onto the polystyrene surface. By increasing the oxygen content, the treatment renders the surface more hydrophilic (wettable), thereby improving cell attachment.
The Corning® CellBind® surface offers several advantages over traditional plasma or corona discharge-treated surfaces. Firstly, it provides faster, more consistent, and even cell attachment, particularly for challenging cell lines such as transfected cells. Secondly, it helps reduce premature cell detachment from confluent cultures, especially in roller bottles and during cell-based assays. This enhanced cell attachment has led biotechnology companies to adopt Corning roller bottles with the CellBind® surface for producing FDA-approved protein therapeutics and vaccines.
Additionally, the CellBind® surface does not require any special handling or storage, as the polystyrene is treated rather than coated. This results in a more consistent and stable surface, reducing batch-to-batch variability. The treatment also improves the attachment and growth of fastidious cell types by altering the surface charge of culture vessels. The net negative surface charge, due to the presence of oxygen-containing functional groups, creates an optimal environment for cell attachment and growth.
In conclusion, the Corning® CellBind® surface treatment is a significant advancement in tissue culture technology, offering improved cell attachment, consistency, and stability. By overcoming the limitations of traditional polystyrene surfaces, the CellBind® surface enables scientists to achieve more efficient and reliable results in their cell culture applications.
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Tissue culture treatment basics
Tissue culture treatment is a process that prepares plastic surfaces for cell culture. The most frequently used plastic in labs today is polystyrene (PS). In its pure form, PS is hydrophobic, which is ideal for suspension cell culture. However, most cells derived from vertebrates need to be cultured on a surface that has been specifically treated to allow cell adhesion and spreading. This is known as a tissue culture (TC)- or cell culture-treated surface.
The treatment process involves exposing a PS surface to a plasma gas, which partially modifies and cleaves the polymer chain, leaving behind oxygen-containing functional groups. This treatment makes the surface more hydrophilic, which is necessary for cell attachment. Cell attachment proteins (vitronectin and fibronectin) found in the serum-containing culture medium can then adhere and spread on the vessel bottom, providing a better surface for cells to attach.
The Corning® CellBIND® surface is a novel cell culture treatment that increases surface wettability for more even and consistent cell attachment. This treatment uses a higher energy microwave plasma to incorporate more oxygen onto the polystyrene surface, rendering it more hydrophilic and increasing its stability.
Other treatments for plastic cell culture surfaces include coating the surface with peptides (e.g. poly-D-lysine or PDL), proteins (e.g. collagen), or polysaccharides. PDL facilitates cell adhesion to TC-treated plastic by mediating the negative charges of both the cell membrane and surface. ECM proteins like collagen provide an attachment framework for the adhesion and growth of certain cell types that have difficulties growing on regular TC-treated surfaces.
Cell culture plates and flasks are available untreated, TC-treated, or treated with other materials. For TC plates, only the bottom of the well is treated, leaving the walls hydrophobic. Angled necks on cell culture flasks offer advantages such as easier access to the entire growth surface and preventing media from reaching the cap.
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Plastic types used for cell culture
Plastic is a versatile material used in laboratories for a variety of purposes, including cell culture. The most frequently used plastic in labs today for cell culture is polystyrene (PS). This plastic type is favoured due to its low cost and inert chemistry, making it an optimal choice for disposable culture surfaces. In its pure form, PS is hydrophobic, which is ideal for suspension cell cultures.
However, as most cells derived from vertebrates are anchorage-dependent, the hydrophobic PS surface must be modified to a hydrophilic surface to allow cell attachment proteins to adhere and spread, providing a better surface for cell attachment. This treatment process includes exposing a PS surface to a plasma gas, which partially modifies and cleaves the polymer chain, leaving behind oxygen-containing functional groups.
Other plastic types used for cell culture include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high- and low-density polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polypropylene (PP). The choice of plastic type depends on the specific application and requirements of the cell culture.
To further optimize the properties of PS surfaces, coatings can be applied, such as peptides (e.g., poly-D-lysine or PDL), proteins (e.g., collagen), or polysaccharides. PDL, a chemically synthesized extracellular matrix (ECM), helps mediate the negative charges of both the cell membrane and surface, facilitating cell adhesion to TC-treated plastic. Collagen, another ECM protein, provides an attachment framework for the adhesion and growth of certain cell types that have difficulties growing on regular TC-treated surfaces.
Cell culture plastics are available in a wide range of formats, sizes, and surfaces, including dishes, flasks, roller bottles, plates, chamber slides, and tubes. The variety of options ensures compatibility with different cell culture applications and specific cell types.
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Cell culture plate options
Tissue culture-treated plastic is used in laboratories to culture cells. Plastic cell culture plates can be purchased untreated, tissue culture (TC)-treated, or treated with other materials. TC-treated plates provide uniform and compatible surfaces for cell attachment and growth. The treatment process involves exposing a plastic surface to a plasma gas, which partially modifies and cleaves the polymer chain, leaving behind an oxygen-containing functional group. This makes the surface more hydrophilic, allowing cell attachment proteins to adhere and spread, providing a better surface for cells to attach.
Corning offers a range of cell culture products, including the Corning® CellBIND® surface, which is a novel cell culture treatment that increases surface wettability for more consistent and even cell attachment. The Corning® CellBIND® surface gives faster, more consistent, and even cell attachment for difficult-to-attach cell lines, especially transfected cells. It can also reduce premature cell detachment from confluent cultures, especially in roller bottles and during cell-based assays.
Corning also offers Ultra-Low Attachment surface dishes that feature a covalently bound hydrogel layer that minimizes cell attachment, protein absorption, and cellular activation. Additionally, they offer Matrigel® Matrix, BioCoat™ pre-coated cultureware, and synthetic ECM mimetic peptides, which provide a cell culture environment that more closely resembles the natural biological environment.
Other options for cell culture plates include different types of plastic, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high- and low-density polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polypropylene (PP). However, the most frequently used plastic in labs today is polystyrene (PS) due to its low cost and inert chemistry. The properties of PS surfaces can be further optimized by coating the surface with peptides, proteins, or polysaccharides. PDL, for example, can help mediate the negative charges of both the cell membrane and surface, facilitating cell adhesion to TC-treated plastic. Collagen I is suitable for endothelial and epithelial cells, muscle cells, and hepatocytes, while collagen type IV offers conditions more physiologically relevant to cells.
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Corning's 3D cell culture tools
The transition to 3D cell culture can be intimidating, but Corning offers support and resources to help researchers get started, scale up their operations, or move to high-throughput screening. Their 3D cell culture solutions are designed to enhance cell culture and assay systems, providing reliable cell culture solutions and an extensive support network.
Additionally, Corning's CellBIND® surface offers faster, more consistent, and even cell attachment, especially for difficult-to-attach cell lines like transfected cells. This enhanced cell performance has led to its use in producing FDA-approved protein therapeutics and vaccines.
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Frequently asked questions
Tissue culture treated plastic is a surface that has been treated to allow cell adhesion and growth. This treatment process includes exposing a plastic surface to a plasma gas, which partially modifies and cleaves the polymer chain, leaving behind oxygen-containing functional groups.
Corning offers a range of tissue culture treated plastic products, including dishes, plates, and vessels. The Corning® CellBind® surface is a tissue culture treatment that increases surface wettability for more consistent and even cell attachment.
The treatment process for tissue culture-treated plastic involves exposing a plastic surface to a plasma gas, which modifies the properties of the surface and allows cells to adhere and grow.
Corning's tissue culture treated plastic products offer several benefits, including improved cell attachment, faster and more consistent results, and enhanced cell performance. The CellBind® surface is also more stable and consistent than traditional plasma-treated surfaces.










































